Read True Charm before the wider world does. We’d love you to join us.
True Charm is inviting early readers to discover Awakening and, for selected readers, more of The First Crossing before publication. Whether you enjoy giving thoughtful feedback or simply want to share an honest reading experience, you are welcome to apply.
Explore The NovelTell us which books you would like to read, your preferred language and how much reading time you have. We review applications individually. If selected, you will receive an email with instructions for your private reading area and protected BookFunnel access, where you can read in the app or your browser. Applying does not give immediate access, and public reviews are entirely optional.
If an application is rejected unexpectedly, check the email address or try another valid address. For help, use our Contact page and mention “Beta Readers”.
Dacă solicitarea este respinsă din greșeală, verifică adresa de e-mail sau încearcă o altă adresă validă. Pentru ajutor, folosește pagina de contact și menționează „Cititori beta”.
Writing a novel is a long, private conversation with people who exist only on the page. Then comes the wonderful moment when a reader walks in and those people begin to live in someone else’s imagination. That is the moment we are preparing for, and it would be a pleasure to share it with you. True Charm belongs unmistakably to the Romania of today, not to some distant, enchanted version of it. Ordinary life is warmly and sometimes wickedly observed, even as an ancient inheritance begins to leave evidence that can no longer be ignored. Private loyalties grow into choices that a whole country may have to confront. Yet the story never forgets the pleasure of a shared joke or the difficulty of trusting someone you love. We hope these people will come to matter to you before you realise how far their lives have taken you.
You do not need to be a literary critic to belong here. The joy of being an early reader is to meet the characters without other people’s verdicts in your ear, and then, if you wish, tell us honestly what the journey felt like. Perhaps you found yourself reading long past bedtime; perhaps a passage left you wanting a little more clarity. Both reactions matter. Private beta feedback can help us make the finished books stronger. If you prefer to write an independent advance review, that choice is yours too. Reviews are always voluntary, and praise is never expected. And one day, when you recommend True Charm to a friend, you may be able to add with a smile: “I read it before it was published.”
Choose the books you would genuinely enjoy reading, at a pace that fits your life. We invite selected applicants as each reading round is prepared. If you are among them, you’ll receive an email with the details and a simple way into your private reading space. Applying does not automatically deliver a manuscript.
Your impressions are welcome even if you never publish a review. A private note about what delighted you or left you wondering can be just as valuable. If you do review publicly, your judgement is entirely your own.
If invited, you’ll receive protected access to your early books through BookFunnel, with clear instructions for reading in the app or browser. The invitation will explain everything you need.
Begin with Awakening and see where the story takes you, join the full five-book Sacred Dawn journey, or ask to be considered for the complete eight-book First Crossing from Book One onwards. The eight-book assessment is a limited, selected opportunity; newcomers do not apply to read Books Six to Eight on their own. The figures below are estimates from the current English manuscript: page equivalents use 300 words per page, reading times assume 200–250 words per minute, and Romanian-edition lengths may differ.
About 135,000 words · roughly 450 page equivalents · 9–11 hours. The starting point for new readers. Read one complete opening book before deciding whether to follow the wider story.
Choose this reading trackNot yet open for applications. Expected beta-reader availability: January 2027. About 693,000 words · roughly 2,310 page equivalents · 46–58 hours, across five books. For committed long-series readers who can follow the entire Sacred Dawn sequence.
Not yet open for applications. Expected beta-reader availability: February 2027. For readers who enjoy becoming deeply immersed in a substantial literary work, we are offering a limited number of opportunities to read and assess The First Crossing, the complete eight-book opening movement of True Charm / Vraja Adevărată. The story unfolds across two closely connected sequences. The Sacred Dawn Sequence, comprising Books One to Five, begins with Awakening and follows the discovery of an extraordinary Romanian inheritance as its implications spread through families, science, faith, intelligence and government, building towards a momentous public revelation. The New Age Sequence, comprising Books Six to Eight, continues the same story. Beginning with What Remains, it explores the aftermath of that revelation, the pursuit of justice, the consequences for those involved and the difficult business of building a future in a world that can no longer return to what it was. Together, these eight books form a continuous, deliberately structured narrative of approximately 961,000 words, representing an estimated 64–80 hours of reading. This is a considerable literary undertaking, intended for readers who relish an expansive cast, interwoven relationships, Romanian history and culture, supernatural mystery, romance and the political consequences of extraordinary events. Selected readers, literary critics and publishing professionals may be invited to undertake a private assessment of the complete work. We are particularly interested in thoughtful, independent perspectives on the development of the characters, the coherence of the two sequences, the emotional and narrative rewards of the journey, and whether the eight-book movement delivers on the promise established in Awakening. This invitation is intended for those genuinely interested in reading the entire work, in its proper sequence, and sharing their considered impressions. Assessments may discuss the story freely, including its major revelations and conclusion. Public reviews, should readers independently choose to write them, are entirely voluntary. Applications for the complete-reading programme are not yet open. Places will be limited, and selected readers will be contacted individually when the round is ready.
The New Age begins with What Remains, Book Six, and continues directly from Sacred Dawn. A separate Books 6–8 reading round remains by invitation for returning readers who have completed Books 1–5. The complete eight-book beta assessment, starting with Awakening, is not yet open for applications and is expected in February 2027.
Approximately 268,000 words · 895 indicative page equivalents · 18–22 additional reading hours. This separate continuation route is for readers who have completed Sacred Dawn (Books 1–5) and may be invited to a later reading round. New readers can still request consideration for the complete eight-book First Crossing assessment, beginning with Awakening.